1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a disc such as a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc as a recording medium for information signals. More particularly, it relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a loading device for loading a disc cartridge containing a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc as a recording medium for information signals on a main body of the apparatus.
2. Related Art
Up to now, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a recording medium such as a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc for information signals has been proposed. The magneto-optical disc or the optical disc, employed as a recording medium for such recording and/or reproducing apparatus, is contained in a main cartridge body to form a disc cartridge and loaded in such state in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
The recording and/or reproducing apparatus has an optical pickup and a magnetic head as means for writing and/or reading information signals on or from the magnetic recording medium. The optical pickup and the magnetic head are mounted on a chassis provided in the main body of the apparatus to constitute a recording and/or reproducing unit. On the other hand, the disc cartridge having a disc cartridge containing the magneto-optical disc or the optical disc therein as a recording medium, is loaded at a cartridge loading position in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus so as to be positioned relative to the recording and/or reproducing unit provided in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. By the disc cartridge thus being loaded at the cartridge loading position, information signals are recorded on the magneto-optical disc, with the aid of the optical pickup and a magnetic head, or the information signals recorded on the magneto-optical disc or the optical disc are reproduced.
The recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing the disc cartridge containing the magneto-optical disc or the optical disc as a recording medium has a cartridge loading device for loading the disc cartridge in a cartridge loading section within the main body of the apparatus. The cartridge loading device has a cartridge holder for holding the disc cartridge which is movably mounted relative to the recording and/or reproducing unit provided in the main body of the apparatus. The cartridge loading device is operative to load the disc cartridge on the cartridge loading section provided in the main body of the apparatus and to load the magneto-optical disc or the optical disc contained in the disc cartridge on the recording and/or reproducing unit by rotating the cartridge holder containing the disc cartridge towards a base member carrying the recording and/or reproducing unit thereon. The cartridge holder is rotated in a direction of being separated away from the cartridge loading section for detaching the loaded disc from the recording and/or reproducing unit for ejecting the disc from the cartridge loading section.
With the recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a recording disc such as a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc as the recording medium, should the disc cartridge be ejected during recording of the information signals on the disc or reproduction of the recorded information signals from the disc, the recording disc or recording and/or reproducing means, such as an optical pickup or a magnetic head for recording and/or reproducing information signals on or from the disc, tend to be injured.
Above all, in the data recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing the magneto-optical disc as a recording medium and adapted for recording information signals as digital data, it is necessary to record desired information signals and subsequently record the table-of-contents information, such as the information concerning the recording position or the recording contents of the recorded information. If such table-of-contents information is not recorded, it becomes impossible to reproduce the recorded information signals. Consequently, with this type of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, there is provided a mechanism whereby the disc cartridge ejecting operation is disabled after recording the information signals on the disc and until recording of the table-of-contents information. The mechanism of disabling the ejection of the disc cartridge electrically detects whether or not the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is recording information signals on the disc, and inhibits the movement of the cartridge holder holding the disc cartridge based upon a detection output. Such means for inhibiting the movement of the cartridge holder includes electro-magnetic driving means, such as a solenoid plunger. With such mechanism employing electro-magnetic driving means, such as a solenoid plunger, for inhibiting the movement of the cartridge holder, the mechanism of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is complicated and increased in size while increasing power consumption.